This article is about land transportation in Cabo Verde as opposed to flights and ferries. I mostly discuss taxis and the little minivans/pickup trucks, collectively known as ‘aluguers’. You can also rent vehicles like scooters/quads/4WD cars on some of the islands. Since this is a hitchhiking blog, I also included some information on hitchhiking. I’m still planning more dedicated articles on hitchhiking in Cabo Verde. This is all the information I’ve gathered on land transportation in Cabo Verde over 88 days and by visiting 7 out of 9 islands. Contents1 The Reality On The Ground2 Public Transit2.1 Taxi Pricing2.2 AluguerContinue reading
Africa
Welcome to the category of blog posts about traveling in the continent of Africa.
A brief history of my travels there:
- Morocco: visited in 2012 (I think) for a few days with a girlfriend. I didn’t know about hitchhiking back then so I still have to return one day!
- Tunisia: visited in 2018 for one week when I had one week of vacation from university. I loved Tunisia and I’m eager to travel back. I hitchhiked once with some great people from Hammamet back to Tunis, with Jonas. Not a lot of time spent, I know, but I had to be back in class the following Monday
- Cabo Verde: visited in 2019 for 88 days with Jonas after graduating from university. Great times! I hitchhiked a bunch of times on different islands. All distances are very short because the islands are so small. I visited Sal, São Nicolau, São Vicente, Santo Antão, Fogo, Brava, and Santiago. I’d love to go back and visit Maio and Boa Vista
- Mauritius, Madagascar, and Ethiopia: between 2021 and 2023. Jonas and I were in Mauritius for almost a year on the premium visa
Thank you for coming to the category about Africa. I hope you find something that you’ll enjoy!
Cabo Verde Packing List – Prepare Well!
I’ve spent 88 days in Cabo Verde and visited 7 out of 9 islands. This makes me somewhat an expert on what stuff to pack before you go. On the distribution curve of travelers going to Cabo Verde, I’m a light packer. Here are the items that sparked the most joy on my hand luggage-only trip to the archipelago! Make sure to check things off on this packing list (automatically saved in your browser). Must Bring: These items I cannot stress enough. You need to bring them! Either because they’re unavailable in Cabo Verde, or because they’re very, very expensive.Continue reading
Cabo Verde’s Three Defunct Airports
I love abandoned places. I severely dislike flying . But visiting a defunct airport? I’m in! Before even arriving in Cabo Verde, I had shortlisted some of the now-defunct airports on my to-visit list. Near the end of my trip, I’ve managed to visit all of them in the following order: Santo Antão, Fogo, Brava. Here’s what to expect when you go visit them yourself on a trip to Cabo Verde. Agostinho Neto Airport, Ponta do Sol, Santo Antão Santo Antão is the second biggest island of Cabo Verde, but it doesn’t have a functional airport as of today. ThereContinue reading
Hiking Fontainhas, the Highest Point of Brava
This article is about the highest peak of Brava island named ‘Fontainhas’ in Cabo Verde. It is not to be confused with the hike from Chã de Igreja/Cruzinha to Fontainhas/Ponta do Sol in Santo Antão! Intro Fontainhas is at 976 meters the highest point of the tiniest island in Cabo Verde: Brava. Brava is truly tiny; you can walk pretty much across the entire island in one day. I did this hike to the peak from Nova Sintra to Cachaço. Nova Sintra is the biggest settlement in Brava, and probably where you’ll be staying at. Hiking to Fontainhas without aContinue reading
Hiking to Farol de Dona Amélia, São Vicente
How to Get There I’d first spotted this lighthouse from the back of a scooter when I visited São Vicente for the first time. I already knew I wanted to dedicate a day to visit the lighthouse upon return to São Vicente after Santo Antão island. The lighthouse is called “Farol de Dona Amélia,” but if you’re in a public vehicle or a taxi in direction of São Pedro, all you need to know is the word Farol – ‘lighthouse’. Everybody knows which one you mean if you’re in the right area. This lighthouse is located on the tip knownContinue reading
(Hitch)hiking Monte Verde, São Vicente
The Setup Monte Verde is the highest peak on the island of São Vicente, Cabo Verde. As the bird flies, it’s only 6 kilometers 744 meters east of Mindelo, the island capital and Cabo Verde’s second-biggest city. The mountain and its plants are protected inside the Parque Natural Monte Verde. The island main ‘ring road’ surrounds the entire mountain, and is a cool trip for one or two people in itself; you can hitchhike, take an aluguer (minivan/pickup, public transit), or rent a scooter/car for a day to see basically the entire island. The peak of Monte Verde is quiteContinue reading
How to get a 90-day visa for Cabo Verde: Part II – the Cabo Verde Visa Extension
Read Part I of trying to get a visa extension in Cabo Verde here. Disclaimer: This article on securing a 90-day visa extension after getting a 30-day entry to Cabo Verde applies mostly to EU+ citizens. This new visa policy only applies to holders of EU, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Iceland, and UK passports. Passport holders of other nationalities can still apply to a Cabo Verdean visa at embassies and consulates the regular way. If you don’t want to read the backstory, read The TL;DR or ‘What to bring’ for a summary of findings. The Immigration office in Espargos, Sal We first tried toContinue reading
Hiking Monte Gordo, São Nicolau
The Intention We’d been in São Nicolau for four days. I really wanted to hike up Monte Gordo, the highest point of the island before we arrived. When we flew in from Sal, I already spotted the peak piercing through a thick layer of clouds from my plane seat. Monte Gordo (‘fat mountain’) is the highest point of São Nicolau island, Cabo Verde. It’s 1312 meters high , and of volcanic origin. But don’t worry, it’s dead now. It’s a protected area inside the Parque Natural de Monte Gordo. While São Nicolau is quite a dry island, the areas higherContinue reading
Getting a SIM Card in Cabo Verde
Just looking for the steps on getting your SIM card in Cabo Verde? Click here to scroll down. Prices are up-to-date as of January 2019. By the way, the country code for Cabo Verde is +238 Why do I need a local SIM card in Cabo Verde? In many countries, it’s a good idea to get a local SIM card. This way you have internet on the go, and don’t pay outrageous prices on your foreign SIM. On 15th of January, I arrived in the Republic of Cabo Verde, an island group in the Atlantic Ocean and part of the African continent. HereContinue reading